A villager described how emergency workers fought unsuccessfully to keep alive an elderly lady hit by a train near Ely.

The woman was hit on the Peterborough line crossing at Ely Road, Queen Adelaide.

“This incident is not being treated as suspicious and a file is being prepared for the coroner,” said a spokesperson for British Transport Police.

“We were called to the line near Ely at 1.58pm on Tuesday December 15 following reports of a casualty on the tracks.”

The spokesperson added: “Paramedics also attended, however sadly a woman was pronounced dead at the scene.”

The villager who contacted the Ely Standard said: “There were several police vehicles, two ambulances, two paramedic incident vehicles, the air ambulance, fire brigade, Network Rail response vehicles and various other plain emergency vehicles.

“The poor lady was initially alive and the emergency services were attending to her for over two hours before succumbing to her injuries.”

He added: “This should be highlighted as this is a very busy crossing and this year has seen a dramatic increase in the amount of people walking through the village and over this crossing.”